Field Services Administrator Brian Mirasolo is the recipient of the 2018 George M. Keiser Award for Exceptional Leadership which is presented each year by the National Association of Probation Executives (NAPE) to a corrections professional who has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities. Mirasolo accepted this prestigious award on July 28 at a NAPE reception held during the American Probation and Parole Association annual conference in Philadelphia. He was the second Massachusetts corrections professional to receive this annual award since it was established nearly 20 years ago.
The award is presented in honor of George M. Keiser, the former Chief of the Prisons and Community Corrections Divisions of the National Institute of Corrections.
A 14-year Massachusetts Probation Service employee and editor of the NAPE quarterly journal, Mirasolo said of his award, “I was humbled to learn I’ll be the recipient of the George M. Keiser Award for Exceptional Leadership. George Keiser accomplished much over the span of his career at the National Institute of Corrections and is known to be a great collaborator and innovator.”
He added, “More importantly, Mr. Keiser was known to be a very decent human being. I have so much respect for him and the previous winners, and their approach to our work in the community corrections field. They set the bar high and I’ll continue to work with all of the great folks at home in the Massachusetts Probation Service and our partners, both across the street and across the world, to maintain that bar and ensure there are fewer victims of crime, communities are safer, and the lives of probationers are healthier. It is with great honor that I will accept the award later this summer in Philadelphia.”
Commissioner Edward J. Dolan said Mirasolo is truly deserving of this honor.
“Brian and his work exemplify the progress and achievements of our agency in the criminal justice system. The award also speaks to his leadership and contributions to the service. This work has a significant impact on the Commonwealth, nationally, and internationally,” Dolan said.
Mirasolo presented at an International Probation seminar in Uniejow, Poland on May 24 before an audience of Polish probation personnel, judges, and university professors. He was one of a five-member North American delegation—including university professors from Toronto and Texas, a jail administrator, and two probation administrators–chosen to present. Mirasolo’s presentation was titled “Building an organization to effectively address intimate partner abuse.”
Mirasolo first joined the service in 2004 as an Assistant Court Services Coordinator in Essex and Suffolk counties. He was promoted to the position of Suffolk Superior Court probation officer, a job he held from 2005 to 2008. Mirasolo became Acting Probation Officer in Charge at Suffolk Community Corrections Center from 2008 to 2009. In May 2009, he accepted a position as acting Chief Probation Officer at the Office of the Commissioner of Probation (OCP), which he held until September 2014. In September 2014, he was promoted to Field Services Administrator. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies. He also graduated from Suffolk University, Summa Cum Laude, with a Master’s in Public Administration.